What do you mean I'm a girl!
by leairan
Summary: It's the end of the year holidays just after the sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry has been removed from the Dursleys care in his fifth year and is now staying at Hogwarts. He wakes up one morning to find himself changed tremendously.
1. Default Chapter

Rating : PG-13 Warning, mature issues. There is slash or sexual relations between two people of the same gender. If you are offended by this, please do not read this story. And please, if you're underage, respect the ratings and stay away. Thank you.

Notes : The first 4 parts have been sent to be beta read and there are some minor changes to them, mainly grammar and punctuations. Since there may be some problems occasionally with Fanfiction.net, I will also be posting my stories at Fiction Alley, It will be a little delayed there, however, as I am posting 2 chapters in one time over there. 

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not me, never has and probably never will

Part 1: Shocked 

Harry stretched and got out of bed, his mind still fuzzy with sleep. He padded in his bare feet to the bathroom, not bothering to reach for his glasses. Normally, he wouldn't be able to do without his glasses, as there usually would be various articles of clothing, shoes, books plus assorted odds and ends scattered on the floor to trip up the unwary. However, it was the end of the year, and most of the students had left Hogwarts for their own homes in the holiday season. 

Now Harry only shared the dorm with Neville, whose grandmother was currently visiting some relatives in Ireland. She had offered to take him along, but Neville wanted to spend the holidays with his newfound Hufflepuff girlfriend. Neville had changed greatly since his fifth year and with the onset of puberty, he was no longer as clumsy and nervous as he previously was. He had shot up greatly and lost quite some weight. 

Harry's own puberty sometime after his sixteenth birthday had not brought many changes aside from his voice becoming slightly deeper and dreams that left him flushed and sweaty. The much hoped for height gain did not materialise as he only managed to grow a few inches and was still one of the shortest in his year. 

Ever since Neville and his girlfriend had gotten together sometime in the middle of the sixth year, they seemed to be attached at the hip. Neville was usually out of the dorm all the time, so Harry didn't see much of him even though they were the only two Gryffindor students of their year who had stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays. 

Professor Dumbledore had insisted that Harry stay at Hogwarts for his safety from Death Eater attacks after an episode in his fifth year. The Dursleys had left Harry alone at their home for over two months, and there had been an attack when the wards around the house were weakened. After that had happened, Harry now spent most of his time at Hogwarts since Dumbledore had finally lost his conviction that the Dursleys would take care of Harry. 

Harry rather preferred it this way and he enjoyed having the whole dorm to himself. He yawned and groped for his toothbrush on the sink. As he stuck the brush into his mouth, he looked up into the mirror and what he saw made his jaw drop wide open. The toothbrush dropped out of suddenly nerveless fingers. The reflection in the mirror, even without his glasses, didn't look anything like him. He most definitely had not been a natural brunette and his hair was never that long. 

Harry scrambled out of the bathroom and almost tripped over a slipper on the floor as he made a beeline for his glasses on his dresser. He grabbed the glasses, put them on and went back to the bathroom. He gawked at the reflection in the mirror with shock, not believing his eyes. 

The reflection gawked back at him. It had long, flowing reddish brown hair that went past its shoulders to end somewhere below the shoulder blades. The face was his and yet subtly different. The only two familiar things were the jagged lightning shaped scar and the green eyes staring wildly. The most jarring thing was that the reflection staring out from the mirror at him was decidedly feminine! 

~ ~ o `o ~ ~ 

Harry sat on the cold floor of the bathroom and stared blankly off into space in shock. "I must be dreaming…" he pinched himself hard and yelped. "Alright, so it's not a dream. Maybe it's some kind of weird prank? The only trouble is there's no one around who would play a prank like that, Fred and George are at the Burrow." 

Harry pushed himself up to his feet shakily and walked over to the mirror again. This time, looking at it without the initial shock colouring his perspective, he could see that he didn't really look that much different in his facial features. In fact, he now could pass as his own sister or a close relative, assuming he had one. 

He cautiously peeked into his shirt, and hyperventilated again. When he managed to get his breathing under control again a few minutes later, he was more sensitive to the changes that had happened to his body. His waist was slimmer than it was previously and his hips more rounded. He also had breasts but they were not very obvious and were just two slight mounds under his shirt. 

Harry was at a loss concerning what to do next. He breathed deeply and tried to calm his racing mind. He brushed his teeth and went through his daily morning routine. He was then faced with the problem of what to wear. His shirts were tight at the chest and his pants felt uncomfortable, too. He finally settled for some of Dudley's old hand-me-downs. The large sweater and pants were loose and baggy on his frame but at least it wasn't emphasizing certain parts of his body the way his normal clothes were. 

He looked at the mirror and a strange yet familiar girl looked back at him, "I still can't believe it." 

"What's there to believe, dearie?" the bathroom mirror asked curiously. 

"I can't really explain it," Harry said. "I woke up this morning to find myself looking like this." 

The mirror frowned, "Well, you could benefit with some better fitting clothes, but you're a very pretty girl so I don't really see the problem." 

"Arrgh!!" Harry was extremely frustrated. He stormed out muttering to himself, "What do you mean I'm a girl?! Dumb mirror." 

The mirror was left puzzled and faintly insulted, "There's nothing wrong with my eyesight, I have perfect 20/20 vision and that is most definitely a girl." 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

Harry left the dorm and hesitated momentarily outside. Who could he turn to for help? Most of the professors had left for the holidays and the few who were left were not always in the castle. Harry hadn't seen Dumbledore at all for the past few days. He decided to head for Professor McGonagall's room and hope that she would be able to help him. 

Harry stood outside Professor McGonagall's door and knocked on it. After a few knocks, McGonagall herself opened the door, "Yes, what do you want, child?" 

"I'm Harry Potter, Professor." 

McGonagall's eyebrows rose in amazement over the rim of her glasses. "Mr. Potter," her voice revealed the depth of her shock. Harry looked pleadingly at her, hoping she would be able to help him out of his predicament. "Well then, Mr. Potter, you'd better come in," she opened the door wider and beckoned him in. Harry went in and McGonagall closed the door behind him. 

She motioned him towards one of the chairs before her desk, sitting down in her own chair. There was an uneasy moment of silence, which Harry broke by shifting uneasily in his chair and asking, "Umm… Professor, so would you know of any reason why I would wake up in the morning looking like this?" 

McGonagall looked increasingly uncomfortable. "It's rather hard to explain, Potter," she paused and looked a little uncertain. "I am not very certain whether it is the actual cause of your… transformation, but it is the most plausible explanation. I do not know if you are aware of the fact that the Potters are one of the old Wizarding families?" she looked at him quizzically. Harry shook his head and plucked nervously at a bit of fluff on his sweater. 

"Well, at any rate, the Potters are one of the old families, almost as far back as the Weasleys and the Malfoys. And as with most old Wizarding families, they have their… idiosyncrasies that are unique to their family alone. One of those quirks was a curse that affected only the male Potters. It would turn them into females every month for a number of days normally ranging from five to seven days, although it was possible to last for as long as fourteen days in rare cases." 

"So I'm affected by this curse?" Harry queried worriedly. 

"It would seem so, however, the problem is that it normally skips a few generations and only surfaces once in a while every third or fourth generation. This is due to the fact that most members of the family had been marrying Muggle-born witches and wizards and with all this mixing of blood, the potency of the curse had been diminished over the centuries. Your father was affected by this curse which is why I am extremely surprised to find that you were affected too. For you to be affected as well, your mother would have to be related to the Potter family. She would have to have a good amount of Potter blood for you to be affected by this curse." 

"Oh," Harry was overwhelmed by the sudden inflow of information. "Uh… Professor? How long would this curse affect me? Would it stop after a few years?" 

"I'm afraid not, Potter. You will have to go through the change every month of your life." 

Harry's jaw dropped open in shock before he managed to gather his scattered wits and close his mouth. "Oh," he said weakly, stunned. He sat for a while, turning the situation over in his head. 

McGonagall allowed him some time to slowly come to grips with the situation. "Well Potter, look at it as an opportunity. You can reveal this or not as you choose, although I think you would prefer not to, correct?" she looked at him and Harry nodded in confirmation. "Very well then, as I was saying, this could be an opportunity for you to escape the burden of being Harry Potter, even though it is only for a few days each month." 

Harry felt a lifting of his spirits at her words. Possibilities reeled through his mind and for the first time he wasn't filled with dread at the predicament he was in. He smiled a little and asked, "But how would I be able to hide this from my classmates when classes start again?" 

"Well, we will perhaps be able to come up with some extra classes for you every month to teach you about countering the Dark Arts. I'm sure that given your unique position, people would not be surprised by such a move. It would effectively allay any suspicions about your disappearance for a number of days each month. I'm sure the last thing you would need is the speculation of certain parties that you are a werewolf," a faint smile quirked around the edges of McGonagall's lips. 

Harry smiled, finally confident that he would be able to pull this off successfully, "Thank you, Professor." 

McGonagall smiled at him, her facial expression relaxing from her usual strictness. "You're welcome, Potter. I would suggest you purchase new clothes that fit you better at the present. If you would like to do so, I will be going to Diagon Alley later this afternoon and you may accompany me if you wish to do so." 

"I'd love to go along!" Harry was ecstatic at the idea of being able to go out, as he had been restricted to the castle for the whole of his holidays. It was still wonderful compared to holidays with the Dursleys but he would still take any opportunity to get out of the castle, as it was a little boring after a while. 

"Very well then, meet me here at two after your lunch," Professor McGonagall's eyes twinkled. 

Harry left her office and headed off to the kitchens to coax some breakfast out of the house elves. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 


	2. Diagon Alley

Rating : PG-13 Warning, mature issues. There is slash or sexual relations between two people of the same gender. If you are offended by this, please do not read this story. And please, if you're underage, respect the ratings and stay away. Thank you.

Notes : The first 4 parts have been sent to be beta read and there are some minor changes to them, mainly grammar and punctuations. Since there may be some problems occasionally with Fanfiction.net, I will also be posting my stories at Fiction Alley, It will be a little delayed there, however, as I am posting 2 chapters in one time over there.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not me, never has and probably never will

Part 2: Diagon Alley 

After lunch, Harry headed for Professor McGonagall's office as agreed earlier. He found her ready and waiting for him. "Mr. Potter. Shall we leave?" McGonagall asked. 

Harry nodded and asked, "How will we be going there?" 

"By Floo. Follow me and kindly do not wander off by yourself," McGonagall took a pinch of Floo powder and held out the box to Harry. He took a pinch from the box and watched as McGonagall replaced the box on the mantle. She then threw the powder in and said, "Diagon Alley." Harry did the same and felt the familiar lurch of travelling by the Floo. He jerked to a stop and coughed, brushing off the soot. 

Professor McGonagall was beside him, looking as neat as ever without a hair out of place. She turned to him, "Our first stop will be Gringotts, you might need some money for your purchases and I need to make a withdrawal too." 

After they had stopped at Gringotts and filled their purses, they headed for the shops. McGonagall took a look at the spectacles hanging loosely on his ears and pursed her lips. "I think you will need to replace those," and she led him to a shop that sold spectacles. It had a pair of disembodied eyeballs framed by a pair of spectacles hanging above the shop sign, Widfle's Wizarding Eyewear For All Occasions. The shop was well lit with assorted glasses displayed prominently in all sorts of shapes and sizes. 

The elderly wizard behind the counter made Harry take a test to judge his eyesight that involved oddly coloured groups of circles with hidden words and numbers inside. He also had to read a chart that had letters that rapidly decreased in size the further down you read. At the very last row the letters were so tiny they almost could not be read clearly and they were also playing hide and seek! They would stay still for a while as Harry squinted and tried to make them out, and then just as he almost managed to decipher them they would disappear from sight only to reappear later. The wizard frowned and rapped on the chart with his wand, "Stop playing and stay still or I'll turn you a bright glaring pink later." The words reappeared with a squeak and the wizard harrumphed and gestured for Harry to continue with his test. 

Once Harry had read the letters on the chart to the best of his ability, the wizard pulled out a pair of gold-framed glasses and put them on. He referred to a sheaf of papers and then looked up, "Well, young lady, you have two options. Your eyesight is correctable with magic; just a little tweaking of the eye muscles and it'll be as good as new. That's the first option and that is what I would recommend. The second option is to buy new glasses, of course. If you wear glasses, however, there is the possibility of your eyesight deteriorating further. On the other hand, it is much cheaper compared to having the correction." 

Harry considered his options and thought it over. "How much would it be for the correction?" 

The wizard named a rather hefty sum and Harry paid it, glad that he had thought to fill his coin bag to the brim back at Gringotts earlier. The wizard led Harry to a room where there was a reclining chair rather like the type a Muggle dentist would use; assorted equipment was placed neatly in a cupboard with glass doors. The wizard gestured for Harry to sit on the chair. He told Harry to keep his eyes open and then held his wand just hovering over Harry's pupils. He muttered a spell and made several slight movements with his wand. It took quite some time but when the wizard was finally done, Harry could see clearly without his glasses. He felt oddly naked and vulnerable without his specs and yet, at the same time, exhilarated as though a burden had been lifted from him. 

They left the eyewear shop and McGonagall lead them to a small shop tucked away behind two other shops. It was so well concealed behind the other two shops that it would be possible to walk right past it and not notice it was there. Harry had never known about the existence of that shop even though he had walked right past it many times. 

When Harry entered the shop and got a glimpse of the wares displayed in neat rows, he blushed furiously. McGonagall had taken him to a shop that was the Wizarding equivalent of Victoria's Secret! Rows and rows of delicate lingerie and lacy underwear were displayed and modelled by mannequins that posed flirtatiously and shifted into different poses from time to time. 

McGonagall paused ahead of Harry and turned back to see what was holding him up. She shook her head and beckoned him forward impatiently. Harry scuttled over to McGonagall, his cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. McGonagall looked disapprovingly at him, "You do need the appropriate underwear, child." Harry just nodded meekly. 

McGonagall searched through a rack of bras as Harry hung around behind her miserably. He tried to accept the fact that he was a girl now and therefore had a perfectly valid reason to be here. This was rather difficult due to the long ingrained male discomfiture when surrounded by rows and rows of lacy lingerie. 

McGonagall held up a few bras and measured his chest before handing him a few different styles and sizes to try on. Harry headed for the changing room and bolted the door. He looked at the bras McGonagall had given him to try. There were a few plain cotton ones and some more fanciful looking ones with ribbons and lace. He had to give McGonagall credit for taste however; even the more fanciful ones were elegantly decorated and not gaudy. 

Harry tried on the plain cotton ones first and put aside the few that felt comfortable from the rest. He then tried on one lacy creation that was cut lower compared to the cotton ones and turned around to look in the full-length mirror. The mirror wolf whistled and leered at Harry, "Woo-hoo, you look lovely, darling." 

"Oh be quiet," Harry said irritably. He had to admit that the mirror had a point, it looked lovely on him, and it enhanced his looks and made him feel desirable. The silk felt lovely and cool on his skin, too. He set that aside with his pile to be purchased later and moved on to the next. 

Some time later, he exited the changing room with a pile of bras that he liked. The ones that did not fit were replaced on the rack. He then selected some panties and paid for all his purchases. The sales witch packed all of them neatly into a carrier bag that was plain white except for the store logo discretely placed on the bottom. 

After exiting the lingerie store, their next stop was a clothing store that specially catered to witches. Harry picked out shirts, blouses, sweaters, skirts, pants and even some dresses with McGonagall offering advice occasionally. Harry realized that he was having fun and actually enjoying himself shopping for new clothes. Time flew by quickly. Harry paid for all of his purchases and McGonagall shrunk all the bags for him so that it would be less cumbersome and awkward and Harry slipped the miniature bags into his pocket gratefully. 

McGonagall suddenly realized with a start upon exiting the clothing store that she still had not completed her errand. "Oh my, I still haven't – " she shut her mouth abruptly, cutting off whatever she was going to say next. "I need to run an errand, and I don't have much time left," she looked sternly at Harry. "I'm sure you still have purchases to make, and I do need to complete my errand urgently. I will have to leave you to the rest of your shopping by yourself, do keep to the populated areas and be careful. I will meet you at Flourish and Blotts in two and a half hours time." 

Harry nodded, trying not to look too happy at the thought of being able to wander around by himself. He felt a thrill of freedom at the prospect, "I'll be careful." 

"I should hope so," McGonagall said tartly. "If anything happens get back to Hogwarts as fast as you can by any means possible," she looked sharply at Harry. "I'll meet you later." Harry nodded and watched as she left hurriedly. 

Harry wondered what exactly was the errand McGonagall had to complete that had her in such a tizzy. His first year came to mind as he recalled Hagrid and the Philosopher's Stone and how Hagrid had been entrusted with bringing the stone back to Hogwarts. Surely one secret magical artifact with great allure to evil wizards was enough for one lifetime? McGonagall surely couldn't be on a similar errand, could she? Harry pushed the thoughts out of his mind for the moment and focused on planning how he would spend the next few hours while waiting for McGonagall. 

Harry had received his list of required items and books for the next year but he hadn't brought it along as he planned to shop for those items together with Ron and Hermione when he next visited the Burrow in a few weeks time. He had fulfilled his main purpose of this trip, which was to purchase new clothing, however, he needed new shoes so he decided to purchase his shoes first then wander around and do a little sightseeing. 

A few shops down the street was a shoe shop which Harry entered with the intention of purchasing a pair of shoes. There were all sorts of interesting shoes in the shop. A group of people; adult witches and wizards, teenagers and young children were gathered around a pair of red shoes that tapped and danced by themselves with no one wearing them. The shoes were touted as being able to make the clumsiest dancer light and fleet of foot. Harry joined the crowd to watch the red shoes dance for a while then a shiny golden pair that was sleek and had a pair of wings fluttering at the sides caught his attention. The shop owner said that it was modelled on the snitch and the wings were able to levitate the wearer for a period of time. Harry made a note to himself to ask Ron about his shoe size so he could buy him those as a gift for Christmas. The varieties of shoes offered were very attractive but Harry was looking for a sturdy pair for everyday use. Finally he settled on a sensible looking pair of black shoes that were soft and comfortable. Harry paid and headed out with his shoes in a bag then wandered over to the Quidditch shop. 

Harry pressed his nose against the shop window and admired the sleek outline of the racing brooms displayed there. The sight still filled him with the same awe and wonder he had felt as an eleven year-old when he got his first glimpse of a broom and the heady feeling of new possibilities unfolding before him, with the awareness of magic and the realization that he was a wizard. Certainly his life had become much more interesting ever since he entered Hogwarts. 

Harry glanced at his watch and saw that he had plenty of time left before McGonagall returned from her errand. He entered the shop, curious about what new products had arrived recently. He flipped through a few magazines and was looking at a new broom servicing kit when he heard two familiar voices behind him. He turned around and saw Seamus and Dean arguing passionately over something as they entered the store. Harry's first unthinking reaction was to wave at them but luckily for him, the two were so engrossed in their argument that they never noticed a strange girl waving at them or they assumed she was waving at someone else behind them. Harry froze abruptly, recalling that he didn't exactly look like himself presently. He scuttled behind a magazine stand and tried to calm himself down. While Seamus and Dean were generally nice people, he could depend on them to tease him mercilessly if they ever found out about his predicament. 

Harry peeked out from behind the stand after a few minutes. He didn't spot the two anywhere nearby in the vicinity and so he edged out slowly. He looked around and spotted the two nearby, looking at one of the brooms on display. Harry watched the two stealthily; ready to jump behind the stand again if they looked in his direction. Time passed and the two didn't even glance in his direction, their attention enthralled by the sleek brooms. Harry started to feel a little foolish for his overreaction. He relaxed and puffed out a breath of air. After all, who would look at a smallish brunette girl and think of The Boy Who Lived? His fringe covered his infamous lightning shaped scar quite well and other than that there was nothing else to link him to Harry Potter. It struck him that this was the anonymity McGonagall had been talking about. He wasn't the famous Boy Who Lived, he was just a normal person. Harry smiled; feeling oddly freed from the normal expectations of people around him who only saw The Boy Who Lived and not his actual self. 

He returned his attention to the broom servicing kit he had been looking at before Seamus and Dean had entered the shop. He browsed idly for a while until he was bored and then left the shop. Seamus and Dean were still there, their attention caught by something else. Harry strolled down the street, feeling light and merry. He had an hour left before he was to meet McGonagall at Flourish and Blotts and he decided to buy some sweets. He left the sweet shop with a bag filled with sweets, chocolates and other goodies. As he turned a corner, he bumped into a person coming from the other end. Harry managed to hold on to his bags firmly without his purchases flying onto the street but the other person wasn't so lucky. Books and assorted items scattered all over the street. 

"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking," Harry said, bending down and helping to pick up the stuff scattered on the ground. 

The other person was gathering stuff rapidly and looked up with a scowl. "Might I suggest you be more careful next time? I could have been carrying breakable items," a familiar silky voice stated. Harry looked up to discover that he had just bumped into Professor Snape! Harry's eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped open with shock. The predominant thought running through his head was that Snape was going to be extremely annoyed with him. _Oh Merlin… what did I do to deserve this?_ Harry silently pleaded. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 


	3. Encountering Snape

Rating : PG-13 Warning, mature issues. There is slash or sexual relations between two people of the same gender. If you are offended by this, please do not read this story. And please, if you're underage, respect the ratings and stay away. Thank you.

Notes : The first 4 parts have been sent to be beta read and there are some minor changes to them, mainly grammar and punctuations. Since there may be some problems occasionally with Fanfiction.net, I will also be posting my stories at Fiction Alley, It will be a little delayed there, however, as I am posting 2 chapters in one time over there.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not me, never has and probably never will

Part 3: Encountering Snape 

Snape was usually in two frames of mind about the school holidays. On one hand, he was slightly disappointed that his main source of entertainment, watching students squirm in his class was gone. On the other hand, he did enjoy the peace and quiet without cauldrons being blown up by pesky little horrors called children that had no idea how to appreciate the art of potions. 

This blissful tranquillity allowed him free time to indulge in leisurely activities that he normally would not have the time for during the school term. Contrary to popular opinion, he was not tied to his cauldron all the time. He did enjoy going out to Hogsmeade for a drink or two, scowling at any students in the nearby vicinity and watching them turn pale and flee from him, with their little stubby legs scurrying away hurriedly. He had to resist the impulse to cackle evilly at the sight, it simply was not dignified and not at all in keeping with his carefully maintained image. He also used the free time to catch up with some of his old colleagues and discuss the latest innovations and breakthroughs, and indulge in a little swapping of tales. Snape loved visiting the bookstore to check out the latest books and went frequently, at least once a week. Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley usually stocked a wide range of selections and it was his most frequented bookstore. 

Snape was bored. He had cleaned his classroom, arranged all his potion ingredients alphabetically, cleaned his bookshelf, sorted it and cleaned his quarters. Now he was bored stiff and restless. Dumbledore was gone on some mysterious mission for goodness knows how long; McGonagall would usually lock herself up in her office and glare at anyone who disturbed her unnecessarily. As for Sprout, she was always pottering around in the greenhouses, Hooch, Flitwick and Trelawney were gone on holiday, and Hagrid was as usual, fooling around with his ickle beasties. They were all occupied with something to do and he was extremely bored, not being able to disturb any of them. 

Snape brightened up as he recalled that a particular book he had placed an order for would be arriving today. He flung on his cloak and tucked his coin bag in his robes. He patted his pocket and felt the familiar weight of his wand. Snape swept out of his room, locking the door behind him. He walked out to the edge of the apparation barriers then apparated to Diagon Alley. He popped into the Apothecary first; checking to see if the newt eyes and ginseng he had ordered had arrived. The store proprietor informed him that the ginseng had come but the newt eyes would only arrive next week. Snape nodded and told the owner to reserve some for him when he returned next week. He purchased some ginseng, a handful of brown fungus and some dried pine tree bark. 

After he left the Apothecary, Snape headed to Flourish and Blotts. He was pleased to find that the book ordered earlier had indeed arrived. He picked it up and spent some time browsing through the other books. After quite a while, he stretched his neck, hearing his muscles protest audibly from the crick he had gotten after hours of peering down at books. He blinked with surprise at how much time had passed. He lugged the armful of books he had selected to the counter and paid for them. They were heavy and Snape briefly toyed with the idea of shrinking them but he had never been particularly gifted in that area and had not cast the spell at all since he left school so he decided against it. He cast a weightless charm on the bags and left the bookstore. 

He was heading to the nearby pub to get a quick bite since he had missed lunch, and he had turned a corner when someone slammed into him. His bags went flying, their contents scattered all over the street. Snape was fuming when the shock of the sudden impact wore off. His nice, new books were thrown all over the street! He stooped and gathered his books quickly, examining them anxiously and was glad to find that there was not much damage aside from a few scratches and dents to the cover. It was fortunate that the street was not muddy or the books would have been ruined. 

"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking," a light, feminine voice broke into Snape's concentration. 

Snape looked up at the unfortunate person, a young girl from the sound of her voice and put on his most ferocious scowl, the one he spent hours practicing in front of the mirror and was even able to make Death Eaters quail and cower at the sight of it. "Might I suggest you be more careful next time? I could have been carrying breakable items," he glared at the girl who was also picking up some of his books scattered further away. She looked up at him and her jaw dropped open in surprised recognition and then rapidly changed to a look of dread. 

Snape looked her over carefully. She was a smallish sized girl with red brown hair and green eyes. She was somehow familiar, as if he had met her before, but Snape couldn't place her name. He normally took pride in being able to remember all of his students' names, whether they were still schooling or had long left Hogwarts. She was at the age where she would still be schooling but Snape simply couldn't ever remember seeing her in his classes. But yet she had recognized him and that particular look of dread was very familiar, he saw it all the time with the students he taught. He frowned and his forehead wrinkled up unconsciously in thought. The girl's features were very familiar… and the answer was just hovering at the edge of his mind… 

Snape suddenly straightened up in shock as realization took hold in his mind. Those green eyes were extremely familiar and the face… "Potter?!" he gasped. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

After leaving Harry to continue shopping on his own, McGonagall strode hurriedly up the street and turned into an alleyway. After a while, a tabby cat with markings that looked remarkably like spectacles peered out cautiously from the alleyway before padding out into the street, its tail held up straight and high. 

The cat wove skilfully between the legs of the numerous people walking up and down the busy street and turned into Knockturn Alley. The expression on the cat's face now could be described as extremely wary and it eyed all the passers-by suspiciously. The cat walked quickly, determined to get to its location as soon as possible. 

The cat evaded a drunk and weaving wizard who was waving his hand blearily and shouting unintelligible words loudly and angrily. The cat shook its head and sniffed disapprovingly. It perked up, seeing its destination nearby and put on a burst of speed before turning into a small dingy pub. 

Inside the pub it was hot and smelly and was filled with various unsavoury characters indulging in their preferred poison of various types of alcoholic drinks. The walls were grimy and dirty with scrawled graffiti on them. The cat scampered quickly under the tables to a small room at the back of the bar, not wanting to spend a moment longer in this place than absolutely necessary. 

In the room, the cat stood still and morphed into a tall, stern looking woman with glasses. McGonagall looked disdainfully at her surroundings, turning her nose up fastidiously at the amount of dirt caked all over the walls and floor. She took out her wand and tapped a complicated pattern on the bricks of the wall in front of her, then stood back. There was a rumbling sound of stone shifting and the portion of the floor McGonagall had been standing on suddenly surged apart to open up and reveal a staircase leading downwards. She advanced down the staircase and the opening closed itself behind her. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

_Oh Merlin… what did I do to deserve this?_ Harry silently pleaded. He felt doomed; sure that Snape would somehow discover his secret. His expression must have given away what he was feeling as Snape looked suspiciously at him. Harry watched with an increasing feeling of apprehension in his stomach, as Snape looked him over carefully, scrutinizing his features. He could almost see his Professor's mind working furiously over the puzzle, his forehead wrinkled up in thought. 

Snape straightened abruptly with a look of shock on his features and exclaimed in surprise, "Potter?!" 

Harry gulped audibly. It was just as he expected. Snape somehow seemed to draw the right conclusions from the scarce data offered where another person would dismiss it as too fanciful or preposterous. He made a feeble attempt to cover it up anyway. "Uh… I think you must have mistaken me for someone else…" he offered with a weak smile, edging backwards. 

Snape's eyes narrowed and his gaze gleamed with the satisfaction of having caught his prey firmly in his trap. "Hah!" he barked, swooping up from his crouch to loom over Harry, "Lying again to a Professor, Potter? I'm sure that at least some detention would be in order for your dishonesty." 

Harry scrambled up and thrust the books he was holding at Snape. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied defiantly. Snape grabbed his books and stuffed them into his bag, then began circling around Harry like a predator circling its prey. 

"Oh, really?" Snape queried. "I don't think so, Potter. There is no hiding your distinctly… unique features. No matter if you try to masquerade as a female, I can still spot you," he bared his teeth in a parody of a grin. 

"I am not trying to pretend to be a girl! I got changed suddenly by a stupid curse!" Harry exclaimed angrily then flushed, realizing that he had just given himself away. 

Snape smirked, "Oh? Well then, Mr. Potter, I'd be interested in hearing your explanation for sprinting around corners and knocking into people." 

"It was an accident!! I already said I was sorry. It's not like I did it on purpose!" Harry grumped. The people passing by didn't even bother to look at them with a passing interest; they were so accustomed to seeing all sorts of odd sights daily that nothing short of an apocalypse could shock them. Only a few curious ones took a quick glance before deciding there was nothing of interest and moved on. 

Snape's eyes narrowed speculatively. "Alright, I'll accept that it was an accident," he said calmly. 

Harry's eyes almost bugged out with surprise. He never expected Snape to be reasonable, still half believing in the mindset of his earlier years where Snape was regarded as a harsh and unreasonable teacher that was biased towards the Slytherins. 

"Oh…" Harry said weakly. "Uh…" he stuttered, struck speechless with shock and embarrassment. He couldn't imagine what would happen now that Snape knew he had turned into a girl. Would Snape reveal it the way he had with Lupin? 

Snape arched an eyebrow, "I can see that you have retained your usual level of verbal fluency. At any rate, why are you wandering about Diagon Alley alone, even if you do not resemble your usual self currently? Surely you are aware that it is not safe to do so?" 

"I know it's not safe. I came with Professor McGonagall but she had an urgent errand to run so she left me alone for a while. I'm supposed to meet her in half an hour's time at Flourish and Blotts," Harry explained. 

Snape pondered it over, "Well then, seeing as there are no other Professors to supervise you, you can follow me. I haven't had my lunch yet, so a quick bite and we'll meet McGonagall at Flourish and Blotts in half an hour's time." 

Snape checked his books, arranging them neatly in his bag and then beckoned Harry impatiently, "Don't dawdle, Potter, and move faster." Snape then strode off with Harry following closely behind. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 


	4. McGonagall's Errand

Rating : PG-13 Warning, mature issues. There is slash or sexual relations between two people of the same gender. If you are offended by this, please do not read this story. And please, if you're underage, respect the ratings and stay away. Thank you.

Notes : The first 4 parts have been sent to be beta read and there are some minor changes to them, mainly grammar and punctuations. Since there may be some problems occasionally with Fanfiction.net, I will also be posting my stories at Fiction Alley, It will be a little delayed there, however, as I am posting 2 chapters in one time over there.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not me, never has and probably never will

Part 4: McGonagall's Errand 

McGonagall descended the narrow steps, a faint whitish light emitting from her wand illuminated the path before her. The steps wound around and were narrow and slippery, the walls covered with some kind of slimy substance that she didn't even want to think about touching. McGonagall just barely managed to keep from slipping a few times. 

Finally, she reached the end of the steps and walked along a narrow passage that branched out into three different corridors. She picked the one on the far left and walked on. It also branched out in many different twists and turns, a very confusing maze that was all too easy to get lost. McGonagall made her way through the maze steadily, taking turns with the ease of practice. 

She stopped at what seemed to be a dead end and fished out a circular amulet hanging from a chain around her neck. It fit nicely in the palm of her left hand. The face of the amulet showed a phoenix swooping about merrily and chasing flames. The back inscribed with strange, curling letters that glowed red gold when hit by light. McGonagall placed her right hand over the phoenix and uttered some words that made the amulet turn hot and glow. The heat was bearable to McGonagall but should another person touch the amulet, it would glow red-hot and burn the skin. McGonagall removed her hand to reveal that the face of the amulet had changed. The phoenix had gone, only to be replaced by a tabby cat washing its whiskers. This of course, was McGonagall's animagus form. 

McGonagall pressed the amulet into the brick wall and it sunk into the wall easily until it was completely concealed from view. She stepped back and turned around, retracing her steps. When she had taken about ten steps, she stopped and pushed on two bricks located on the wall on her left. A door swung open silently and she stepped in, closing the door behind her. 

The room behind the door was spacious and wide. McGonagall did not want to think about the amount of work and magical effort put into creating this system of secret passages and rooms. It had been created by an extremely paranoid wizard a few centuries ago who was very wealthy and more than a little mad. He had hired highly specialized wizards to build the rat's nest of passages and hidden rooms crisscrossing all over the place beneath what had been his family's ancestral dwelling. It was now Knockturn Alley, Diagon Alley as well as their surrounding areas. 

Once the work was completed, the wizard had slowly killed off those workers as well as anyone who knew about it. No one had realized the actual state of affairs and some of those deaths were dismissed as being due to natural causes. So now nobody knew exactly how far these passages extended or how to uncover all of their secrets. There were plenty of deadly traps awaiting the unwary, scattered in various places. Somehow, knowledge about it had resurfaced again and now certain, safer parts were being used by the Order of the Phoenix. 

The room or to more accurately describe it, chamber, McGonagall had entered was a bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom all mixed together. The various different rooms were partitioned off each other by the use of elegantly painted paper screens. The person who had furnished this chamber had had a fine appreciation of Oriental arts and cultures, which was reflected in the way the room was decorated. Silk paintings, elegantly crafted vases, sleek rosewood furniture, and many other exotic items had been placed strategically to enhance the beauty of the surroundings. When they had first found this chamber, amazingly, all of the items were still in a relatively good condition, if rather dusty. A few cleaning charms restored the chamber to its former splendour and it was now being occupied by one of their agents. 

A dark haired, skinny wizard wandered out of the bathroom, wearing a blue bathrobe and towelling his hair dry. "You're late," he said dryly. 

"I was a little preoccupied earlier, I had some… things to take care of," McGonagall retorted. "How can you be so sure that it was me coming in and not some Death Eater?" 

"Well, there's the little manner of all those deadly traps scattered all over the rat's maze of corridors out there, not to mention that nifty little amulet without which the door cannot be opened. I'm sure any wandering Death Eater would have been fried to dust before getting in here," he replied flippantly. McGonagall opened her mouth to launch a tirade on how he should not assume mindlessly, and he broke in hastily before she could say anything, "And I could smell that it was you. After so many years of staying in my animagus form, my senses have gotten sharper and keener. Not as heightened as an actual dog's senses but better than a normal human." 

McGonagall shut her mouth with a snap and opened it again almost immediately, "Still, Sirius, you shouldn't let your guard down. What if it had been some one polyjuiced into me? Or I could be a traitor, don't look at me like that, you of all people should understand better than most how the person most unlikely to do so can turn out to be a traitor. It could be a possibility." 

Sirius's expression turned solemn, making him look older than his actual age. "I know," he said quietly, thinking about Peter, who had been one of the Marauders. He should have been, from all that they had gone through together, a lifelong friend. A friend through thick and thin, but instead had turned out to be a traitor, causing the deaths of James and Lily. "Still, Minerva, I have faith that you'd never be a traitor… If you'd wanted to sell my hide to Voldemort, you would have done that long ago when I was in school. We caused so much trouble for you as our Head of House that I'm surprised you didn't put us on permanent detention or expel us," a faint smile twitched the corners of his mouth. 

McGonagall smiled, "After all those years looking after all of my five sisters children when they were babies and toddlers, you and your friends were just a bigger version of the babies I looked after as a young girl. You wouldn't believe the chaos that can be created by a few little babies." 

"Ouch, babies… I always thought we were 'rabble-rousing mischief makers' and you compare us to babies…" Sirius winced. 

McGonagall smirked. "Oh, no doubt you were a handful… but I've been through worse," she slipped her hand into her pocket and took out a box the size of a matchstick box. "I've brought the supplies you said you needed," she placed the small box on the ground and stepped back a distance before enlarging the small box into a huge crate. 

Sirius stepped forward and opened the cover. "Oh, that's just what I wanted, thank you," and he started taking things out. McGonagall had brought food, clothing, medical supplies, healing potions, some books and puzzles to occupy the mind and his old wand. It was sitting right at the bottom, wrapped in a piece of cloth. Sirius stroked it lovingly, reunited after such a long time. "How did you get this?" he asked. 

"Dumbledore managed it somehow, I'm not sure about all of the details, but he slipped it out. You'll have to ask him when he comes to visit." 

"I will. You just missed Remus, actually; he came yesterday for a visit and stayed the night. I tried to get him to stay longer, but he muttered something about a mission and slipped out this morning. He brought quite a lot of food too, it's a good thing he cast some preservation charms on the food before leaving. I can do it for this batch now, since I've got my wand back…" Sirius stroked it lovingly. "Tell Dumbledore I'm very grateful." 

McGonagall smiled, "Alright. How was your mission? Did you find out anything about what the Death Eaters are planning? They seem to be getting ready for something, but so far we haven't been able to find anything out." 

Sirius scratched his head, "Well, there was a rather sticky moment when Crabbe tried to beat me with a big stick, the fellow has an aversion to dogs, can't understand why. Aside from that, I was out of sight for the most part and Lucius Malfoy and his toadies didn't notice me tailing them. I didn't get much out of them, they didn't talk much about whatever they're planning, but the strange thing is, they were visiting Muggle residential areas. From what I picked up, it almost sounded as if they were planning to buy a house in a huge Muggle populated area. It's so strange I'd never believe it… but Malfoy actually met a few real estate agents to negotiate on a buying price for a few houses." 

"That's strange…" McGonagall looked interested. "It could be related." 

"It most probably is. Can you imagine Malfoy buying a house in a Muggle neighbourhood of his own free will?" Sirius barked out a laugh. 

McGonagall smiled, "I couldn't imagine that happening without Malfoy being forced kicking and screaming into doing so." 

"And that's why it's definitely some kind of ploy." 

"I'll let Dumbledore know." 

"Hasn't Snape heard anything?" Sirius asked. A faint note of suspicion crept into his voice. 

"No, he hasn't heard any specific details other than to be prepared for something big and it's not for lack of trying. Most of the Death Eaters are unaware of it; they seem to be kept in the dark and the specific details only available to a selected few. All we've managed to get is that they will be moving soon. So we're pushing all of our agents to find out as much as they can and before it's too late." 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

Snape took a bite of the delicious turkey quiche he had ordered and watched unobtrusively as the girl across of him, Harry Potter, poked at the huge slice of chocolate cake sitting in front of him? Her? Snape preferred to think of Potter as he had always been, a boy with large spectacles and messy hair and who got into all sorts of trouble all the time. They were sitting at a table outside a small café they had come across, run by an elderly matron and served home made food. 

"It's huge!" Potter said, his eyes opened wide, looking rather amazed at the size of one slice. The cake was moist and dark and coated generously with melted chocolate. 

"Just eat it," Snape told him. 

Potter took his advice and took a bite out of it. A look of pleasure crossed his face. "It's really good. The chocolate seems to melt in the mouth," he attacked the cake with gusto. 

Snape's mouth twitched in amusement as he watched Potter eat the chocolate cake with a blissful look on his face, "Doesn't take much to make you happy, does it?" 

Potter gave him a look, "For me, chocolate is one of life's greatest treasures. It's the best thing to perk up your day." 

"I see. Well, to each their own. I find that most of the chocolates are too sweet. Only a few chocolates are to my taste. Your father, on the other hand, had an obsession with chocolates, I suppose that's where you got it," Snape said. 

"I didn't know that," Potter said. 

"Now you do. Although it seems that it is not the only thing you inherited from him." 

Potter looked surprised and faintly enquiring, "Do you know about the curse, Professor? Professor McGonagall didn't tell me much about it." 

"I had a first hand experience with it," Snape said dryly and saw Potter look confused. "It runs in the Potter bloodline, that much McGonagall would have told you," he looked at Potter, who nodded. "Well, it all started with Edmund Potter, your ancestor, about fourteen generations back. He was a rather… promiscuous person for those times. He had a wife from an arranged marriage and two children, twins but he had countless lovers of either gender in his bed. However, for all his fooling around, he was rather discreet about it, no need to rub it in his wife's face. After all, even if he didn't exactly love her, she was from a respectable and reputable family and he didn't want any scandal. Nevertheless, things changed when he met his wife's young male cousin… and was besotted with him. It got worse when the other man returned his attentions. From a sensible man, he started acting foolishly. The two started meeting all the time, openly, without caring about being seen, and eyes did see and tongues started to talk and gossip as they will. So his wife was furious at the scandal and demanded that the two break it off. He refused to do so and in a fit of anger and jealousy, she cursed him to become a woman since he was so infatuated with men. Somehow, he managed to alter the curse so that he would only become a woman for a few days every month, but unexpectedly, his son and all the males from his bloodline were also affected. No one knows if it was part of the original curse or a side effect from his alteration." 

"So that's how it came about," Potter looked curious. "How do you know all that, Professor?" 

"The girl from the pair of twins he had with his wife married my ancestor," Snape answered dryly. 

Potter looked shocked, "Oh… er… um… so did the curse pass down your family?" 

"Yes, it did, but it wore off over time since most of my family members didn't really marry any more Potters. It hasn't happened to any male in the Snape family for a long time, although, I think the possibility is still there. Hypothetically, for an example, if a Snape was to marry a Potter, the offspring produced would probably be afflicted with it." 

"I see. That's why Professor McGonagall said my Mum must have been somehow related to the Potter bloodline for me to get it." 

"Yes. That's correct since it only shows up in the Potter blood once in a while, and that's only when both parents have ties to the Potter line." 

"That's odd; didn't my mother come from a Muggle family?" 

"She did," Snape shrugged. "Who knows, perhaps some relative some where up the line married a Muggle and went into Muggle society, it happens sometimes." 

"I guess," Potter didn't look convinced. "Thank you for telling me, Professor." 

"You're welcome. Now finish your cake and we'll leave to meet McGonagall." 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 


	5. Plots

Rating : PG-13 Warning, mature issues. There is slash or sexual relations between two people of the same gender. If you are offended by this, please do not read this story. And please, if you're underage, respect the ratings and stay away. Thank you.

Notes : First of all, I'm sorry this has taken so long to come out... This is because I have sent the first 4 parts to be beta read, and the process is finally complete. So, check out the first 4 parts, there are some changes to them. Since there may be some problems occasionally with Fanfiction.net, I will also be posting my stories at Fiction Alley, It will be a little delayed there, however, as I am posting 2 chapters in one time over there. I am glad those reviewing seem to like the story so far... Thank you, guys, and keep on giving your comments. Right, on to answering questions...

1. Is it going to be Ron / Harry? Well, maybe... or maybe not... most probably not. But still, you never know. You'll find out in future chapters.

2. Are Sirius, Ron and Hermione going to find out about Harry? Hmmm... some will and some won't and that's all I will say. Don't want to give the story away. : )

3. Myk, you hit the nail on the head with your guess. : ) Stay tuned and do tell me when I reach that part whether I managed to pull it off and make it realistic.

4. What's Harry's female name going to be? It'll be out in the next few chapters.

5. Snape was rather fast when realizing it was Harry in the 3rd chapter... Yes, I'm aware of that... there is a reason why... parts of which are revealed in this chapter.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and not me, never has and probably never will

Part 5: Plots 

McGonagall stepped out of the chamber, closing the door behind her. She spoke a word and the amulet embedded in the wall slowly rose to the surface, letting her pick it up and replace it around her neck. McGonagall turned around to make her way back up through the winding maze to Knockturn Alley. She shifted into her animagus form and made her way back to Diagon Alley. Once in Diagon Alley, she looked around until she spotted an empty alley where she could change back into her human form. She cast a quick cleaning charm over herself to get rid of the grime she swore she felt sticking all over her skin. She then strode into the street and headed for Flourish and Blotts to find Harry. 

McGonagall entered Flourish and Blotts, which was full of people with stacks of books blocking part of her view of the crowd. She was craning her neck, trying to spot a small, auburn-haired girl in the crowd. Suddenly, she was startled by a voice in her ear. "Looking for something?" a very familiar voice purred in a low and velvety tone. McGonagall started at the sudden sound and just barely managed to keep herself from jumping out of her skin. Snape would be insufferably smug and smirking for the whole week if he got a reaction out of her. 

"Now, Severus…" McGonagall started, turning around to face Snape and give him a piece of her mind. However, she trailed off, closing her mouth rather abruptly with a click as she noticed the rather sheepish looking Harry who she had been searching for, standing right next to him. McGonagall stared blankly at Harry in shock, her mind whirling wildly with all the implications. Snape looked like the cat that got the canary, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. 

"What… how?" McGonagall managed to get out faintly. 

Snape positively… grinned, an expression on his face never seen before by most people. "That's for me to know and you to find out." 

McGonagall looked faintly affronted. She huffed and gained her composure back quickly. "Well then, if there's nothing else, we should get back to Hogwarts." She marched out, Harry and Snape following behind, Snape still looking immensely pleased with himself. They all flooed back to Hogwarts. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

Harry dumped his bags down upon reaching his dorm, which was empty except for his presence and sorted out all of his purchases. Most of it consisted of clothing, which was sent to the house elves for cleaning before use. He flopped down on his bed and considered the most peculiar day he had had. First he had woken up to find himself changed into a girl thanks to a family curse no one had seen fit to tell him about. Although he could see why no one had thought it was necessary to tell him about it. The conditions of the curse were such that he would not have been expected to be afflicted with the curse. His mother would have to be related to the Potter line for him to get it. And since his mother had come from a Muggle family, it had seemed highly improbable that he would have the curse, but yet he did, as was evident now. 

Harry frowned. There was something about the whole situation that seemed slightly off but he couldn't seem to put his finger on it. Professor Snape seemed to know more than he was letting on and he just couldn't accept the explanation that some relative somewhere up the line might have gone into Muggle society. That just seemed too… neat to be true. 

Harry was sure that there was much more hidden beneath the surface, the only thing was, how would he dig it out? 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

McGonagall strode up and down her office, frowning contemplatively. She was extremely curious how Snape had managed to figure out that Harry had turned into a girl. As far as she knew, only herself, Dumbledore and Pomfrey were aware of James predicament when he was in school. She could always ask him, but from the smug look on his face earlier, she didn't think he would explain it to her satisfaction. He had always liked keeping his secrets to himself and occasionally dropping maddening little hints. McGonagall shrugged. She would try anyway… and if he didn't tell her, well… all the more fun trying to squeeze it out of him. 

McGonagall left her office for the staff room where she knew she would be able to find Snape having his dinner there. With only a few staff and students left at Hogwarts, they usually didn't use the Great Hall for meals, but normally had meals in their own rooms or dorms. 

As expected, Snape was in his usual seat, reading a book whilst absently eating from the plate in front of him. He was so engrossed in the book he didn't even look up at her entrance. McGonagall sat herself down in a chair directly opposite him and waited. Ten minutes passed by and he didn't even look up from his book. She cleared her throat loudly, impatient with waiting. 

"What do you want, woman?" Snape finally deigned to notice her existence. 

"Where did you bump into Potter earlier at Diagon Alley?" McGonagall asked, deciding to lead up to what she wanted to know. 

Snape huffed, "I'll have you know that he bumped into me with his usual tendency to be clumsy. He came hurtling around a corner with no regard as to who might be coming from the other side and sent all of my things flying all over the place. He was just fortunate none of those things were breakable." 

"But how did you recognize him? It's not like he actually looked like his usual self." 

Snape looked at her condescendingly, "Surely I am not blind. Even with Potter's… change, his features bear a certain resemblance. Since I know that he has no female relatives of his age, hence I concluded it must be Potter himself." 

McGonagall arched an eyebrow and looked disbelieving, but choose not to push it any further. 

Snape rose from his seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to retire to my quarters for some peace and quiet," he eyed McGonagall meaningfully and swept out of the room. 

McGonagall tapped a finger on her lips speculatively. He had, as usual, given her something that was plausible; yet, one could tell that it was not the whole story. "Tight lipped old scrooge." 

McGonagall straightened up and grinned positively fiendishly as a wonderful idea came to her on how she could get back at Snape and solve Harry's problem on explaining his female presence. "Hmmm, Mr. Potter, how would you like to be Professor Snape's daughter?" she cackled evilly, her laugh echoing around the empty staff room in a way that would have frightened even Snape had he been there to see her. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 

Snape strode out of the staff room, mildly irritated at being disturbed from his book and yet pleased that he had managed to predict McGonagall's reaction correctly. She had come to probe his mind, suspicious of how he'd come by information only available to a limited few. 

Snape smirked. Very few were aware of the fact that the Snape and Potter families were remotely related to each other, as the two families had kept it rather quiet and never mentioned it to any but family and close friends. His mother had told him about the curse when he was thirteen but he had thought it just an old story. At least until he had an encounter with James Potter, and found out that it was true after all. 

Snape recalled one of the most… interesting events in his life, many years ago… 

_It had been a Hogsmeade weekend, which would usually be filled with frenzied activity on the week before by Potter and his cronies planning items to purchase for use in their pranks. However, they were more subdued than normal, with only Lupin and Pettigrew visible in class. Potter and Black were suspiciously absent and missing the entire week. This made Snape very suspicious. Surely they were not planning some new trick on the Slytherins? They did from time to time but they couldn't be so stupid as to do it now, when they could be caught and visiting privileges taken away? _

_Snape shrugged. You never knew with Gryffindors. The more rash ones tended to literally jump headfirst into hot soup without thinking of the consequences. Black was certainly one of those. Potter… well, Potter did have some degree of subtlety, but at times he seemed to just blindly follow Black's example and land into trouble as well. Being very curious, Snape decided to snoop around and find out what Black and Potter were up to. _

_He borrowed Malfoy's invisibility cloak in order to better stalk Potter and Black without them being aware of his presence. The week had passed without any unpleasant surprises for the Slytherins, which lead Snape to conclude that the two must be plotting to pull off whatever they had thought of during the weekend, when most of the students were at Hogsmeade. Snape had to admit that it would be an ideal opportunity. He planned to wait until most had left for Hogsmeade and then sneak into the Gryffindor dorm. He had managed to find out the week's password through waiting just outside the portrait to the dorm, wearing the invisibility cloak and spying on those who went in. However, in all that time, he never saw Black or Potter. _

_Snape waited patiently for most of the students to leave, making a loud and cheerful din as they did so. When most of them had left, leaving only a handful of students who were either unable to get permission or were simply not interested in going, he donned the invisibility cloak and slipped out quietly to the Gryffindor dorm. He gave the password to the portrait and slipped in. _

_What first hit him was the amount of red in the room. It seemed almost obscenely cheerful and perky. Ick. The common room was devoid of any human presence. Snape shrugged and headed for the boys sleeping quarters. Surprisingly, it was also empty. Snape frowned. Surely they couldn't be in the girls sleeping quarters? He looked anyway. It was also deserted. Snape headed back down to the common room. Potter and Black had not left for Hogsmeade, however, Lupin and Pettigrew had gone. Snape pursed his lips thoughtfully. Where else could they be? In a huge and old castle like Hogwarts, there were plenty of secret corridors and rooms, and he wouldn't even know where all of them were located much less be able to check in all of those. _

_Snape felt rather disconsolate. He could just feel in his bones that there was something suspicious about those two but he had not managed to sniff it out. He folded his arms and looked around, wondering what prank he could pull off on the Gryffindors to make up for his time wasted and yet not cast suspicion on himself. He was just about to cast an itching charm on the bedding when the portrait opened. _

_Snape immediately choose a nice dark corner to stand in where he could see everything. Even with an invisibility cloak on, he wouldn't want to be bumped into and give the game away. Standing in the middle of the room would bring about the necessity of moving around the room and making noise whilst doing so. _

_Black popped in and ran up to the sleeping quarters, checking the whole place. He then ran back down and opened the portrait again, "It's alright, there isn't a single soul around." _

_A girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere as she shed an invisibility cloak. She had reddish brown hair and a petite form. Snape assumed she was one of Black's countless girlfriends. But the thing was, where was Potter? _

_"It's a good thing they've all left for Hogsmeade. I was starting to get bored, cooped up in that room with nothing to do but homework," the girl said, sitting down in a chair. Her voice was vaguely familiar somehow. _

_Black grinned, "Yep, just your bad luck it had to be this week, huh? Or else we could have gone with Remus and Peter to Hogsmeade. The joke shop has this absolutely fabulous new trick that I've been dying to get." _

_The girl smiled, "Yes, well, there's always the next time. Anyway, I think the change back will be sometime tonight." Snape's ears perked up at that. Polyjuice? No, couldn't be, most students botched up the potion as it took extremely delicate skill and mastery. It was extremely expensive too and sales of it were recorded so they couldn't have purchased it either. If anything, it must be some kind of glamour. _

_Snape waited patiently and listened as the two chatted on inane matters. Suddenly, the girl clutched at her stomach, an expression of discomfort on her face. Black looked panicky at that action. "It's happening now?" he asked. The girl just nodded. Snape edged forward a little to see better what was happening. _

_The girl gasped and her features… rippled and changed in a way Snape had never seen before. Her hair shortened rapidly into her skull, changing into from reddish brown into black. Her features broadened out and rapidly transformed into a very familiar face. Potter. Snape barely managed to stifle his gasp of shock. Black immediately started fussing over Potter once the change was complete. _

_Snape watched the two make their way up to their beds and smiled slowly as he slipped silently out of the Gryffindor dorms. Now this was interesting. It would seem that cousin James was afflicted with the Potter curse. And all this time, he had thought it just a story… Ah, the possibilities…_

Snape came back to the present with a start as Peeves cackled somewhere overhead and threw something at Mrs. Norris. He shook himself out of his musings and continued on to his chambers. 

~ ~ o ` o ~ ~ 


End file.
